NEW ZEALAND BISLEY

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 124, 23 February 1928, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND BISLEY

COMMENCEMENT AT TRENTHAM THIS MORNING NOTABLE RIFLE SHOTS PRESENT Notable rifle shots from all parts of the Dominion and from New South Wales and Victoria will assemble on the range at Trentham this morning, when the National Rifle Association of New Zealand will commence its annual meeting. For several days past Trenthem has been the Mecca of these marksmen, and many of them have taken advantage of the fine weather to get in some preliminary practice for the. strenuous contests that are to follow during the ensuing week. Practically all of those who competed at Papaawi on Monday and Tuesday went into the camp yesterday morning, and in the afternoon were renewing acquaintance with conditions at Trentham. Those practising on the range yesterday found the weather to their liking, and, judging by the many excellent scores that have been registered over the various ranges, there should be some close struggles in the different matches.

This morning serious shooting will commence, and the programme will start with the service match series, compulsory for all competitors. The service matches comprise rapid shooting, application, and snap, falling tiles, and moving targets. The Dominion Match will be fired in the afternoon. This match, fifteen shots at 600 yards and ten shots at 900 yards, is an “extra” with a special prizelist, and does not count for the King’s Prize. The contest for the Ballinger Belt will commence in earnest with the Marlborough Match on Friday, ten shots at 300 yards and 500 yards. Added interest is given to this year’s fixture by the presence of strong contingents from New' South Wales and Victoria, the Australians numbering thirty-one all told. The last occasion when the Australians competed at a New Zealand rifle meeting was eighteen years ago, and the visitors and a Dominion team will meet in a match for the Gordon Highlanders’ trophy, the present holders being Western Australia. This trophy was presented to the Commonwealth and Dominion forces by the Gordon Highlanders in commemoration of associations together on the veldt during the campaign in South Africa, and only once previously has the match been fired in this country, a condition being that it must be decided consecutively in each of the Australian States and the Dominion. '

The entries received up to last evening numbered 323, this being slightly less than at last year’s meeting, but it is anticipated that additional competitors coming into camp this morning will bring the total to 350. Some idea of' the talent present can be gathered from the fact that no less than nine previous winners of the Ballinger Belt are taking part. These are: Lieutenant W. Duncan 71909), F. H. James (1913), W. N. Masefield (1914), R. J. King (1903 and 1919), H. V. Croxton (1920), E. E. Vennell (1921), Captain H. Simmonds (1924), L. A. Caldwell (1926), and D. Roots (1911, 1922, and 1927). Other front-rank marksmen include the South Island champion, V. Timms (Christchurch) and the North Island and Wellington champion C. Whiteman (Upper Hutt), and D. McKenzie, of the Masterton-Opaki Rifle Club, who won the Wairarapa championship on Tuesday at Papawai. There are also strong representations from Auckland, Hawke’s Bay, Christchurch, and points further south. All the. Wellington rifle clubs are also well represented. Every A. grade man in the Petone club, is present. Two familiar figures at Trentham during National Rifio Week for very many years past have been Captain J. H. Ross, of Wellington, -and J. Fraser, of Kaitangata. Captain Ross won the Carbine Belt outright iu 1888, and he and Mrs. Ross presented it to the association in 1926 for award to the best aggregate scorer in the Service. Championship. Mr. Fraser has not missed a meeting for more years than the average competitor has to bis ago. The New South Wales section of the Australian team is led by .A. R. McLeod, of Manilla. He is a member of the New South Wales National Rifle Association, and for several years he has been captain of the Northern New South Wales team. He has many very fine performances to his credit, and in 1925 was fourth in the Longfiehl Aggregate and forty-second in the N.S.W. King’s in 1927, when there were 850 competitors. Ho won the country championship of New South Wales in 1927 and was second in the. northern championship of New South Wales in the same year. One of the outstanding riflemen in the team is E. J. Channon, who was a member of the 1924 Australian Bisley team. He is champion of the Parramatta club and has represented New South Wales on several occasions and was a member of the State team in the recent Commonwealth match.